Deal with the devil
by Lantern92
Summary: Sarah finds herself entangled in an unlikely web of emotions for the one person she least expected, the most messed up person ever.
1. Desire

**All characters belong to Cartoon Network and Danny Antonucci**

_**Prologue: **_She knew what he was like. She knew he was the furthest thing from perfect and yet every bone in her body ached for his imperfection. He'd destroy her innocence... obliterate it for his own amusement and not bat an eyelid. Men like him weren't capable of love, no. They had no use for it. Men of his caliber had less than pure intentions when it came to girls like her, and the scary part was they never made it a secret. Their whispers of sweet nothings and honey kisses would deceive you. See, they made you choose. Like a moth to a flame, they waited patiently to warm you. Then they would burn you. Finally, they would incinerate you. And in the end when it's far too late, you wouldn't mind that you sold your soul for love. His empty love.

* * *

**A Deal With The Devil**

* * *

_**Desire**_

It was 10pm and Jimmy had just sent Sarah a text saying he was on his way over to her place to pick her up for Nazz's party in the woods.

The 19 year old groaned on her bed in the darkness, flinging her cellphone aside and deciding to lay motionless as if it would stop the pain she was feeling. All she wanted was to smash everything because she felt so powerless.

It had been a long hard semester and summer was finally here, but she wasn't one bit excited about any of it. She instead preferred to be distracted with all the work and extra credits she had purposefully buried herself in in order to escape from the thoughts she was having of her brother's obnoxious best friend.

Downstairs in the apartment she shared with her brother, she could hear her older sibling talking excitedly to his friends. Actually, she had been laying there motionlessly for minutes now listening in on their conversation about girls; Sarah's ears piquing with interest everytime Eddy contributed to the topic.

He mainly wrote off his friend's adventures, justifying his lack of time for women with how busy he was with his job at the bank and his future permanent move to New York as soon as he finished his finance graduate degree. Sarah sighed, trying not to think of a world where the once infuriating Eddy wouldn't assualt her with his sly, impolite remarks.

Over the years, she had developed unwanted feelings for the arrogant older man. Sarah wasn't even too sure when it had happened, or how, or even why. She just knew that somewhere between hating the boy he was and respecting the man he had grown to become she had started to feel extremely attracted to him; his now muscular frame, his commanding presence, the smug condescending looks he gave everyone, the way his sharp manly scent hung in the air whenever he walked past, the way his low, rumbling voice filled the room as he laughed, his thick raven mane, the stubble that grew on his grown up handsomely chiseled jaw, his relentless ambition….

Every bit of him intrigued Sarah, and she couldn't bear to admit it to herself; what more tell anyone else, not Jimmy nor Nazz. She thought it was dumb, probably even misguided and naïve to entertain thoughts of him reciprocating the romantic feelings, so whenever she had one of her love-struck episodes, it always made her angry because she knew she could never have him.

Not only could she not have him, he probably saw her as his best friend's annoying little sister and nothing more. To make matters even worse, Sarah had heard that Eddy was regularly hooking up with Lee Kanker who had developed into a curvy, gregarious woman endowed with a set of 34DDs, a tiny waist, hips and legs that would all give Kim Kardashian a good run for her money. What Lee lacked in manners and intelligence she made up for in pure sexual allure, a detailed knowledge of the Kama Sutra and a face that any red blooded male would undoubtedly be mesmerized by. And Eddy was no exception.

How could little Sarah even begin to compete with that?

And now, Eddy would be moving away. She frowned to herself, thinking how hopeless the situation was. She was just going to have to force herself to forget about him and move on, but the problem with that was she didn't know how to forget her feelings or ignore the thoughts of him that constantly reeled in her mind.

If only she was older and sexier…

A honk downstairs signaled Jimmy's arrival and interrupted her insecurity ridden pity-party monologue.

Wanting to run away from her own thoughts, she dove off her bed and grabbed her abandoned cellphone then fished for her house keys under the piles of outfits that she had been trying on and threw them in her sling bag. She gave her reflection a weak, encouraging smile and adjusted her hair before storming out of the door. When she was at the foot of the stairs, she realized she had forgotten her lip gloss as she dug in the bag, and that was when she landed flat on her butt which resulted from the impact of hitting into something.

'Whoa there half-pint,' Eddy said, turning to her with half a beer in hand. She had accidentally ran into him as he was coming out of the kitchen. 'Where's the fire?'

Sarah sat there surprised and wide eyed, not knowing how to react she bit her lower lip nervously, almost blushing from the very sight of his condescending smirk. Eddy offered her a hand to help her up and she hesitantly took it.

Just as quickly she changed her demeanor to indifference, so that he wouldn't see just how in smitten she was with him. Her heart beating quite quickly, she put her guard up again 'Watch where you're going loser,' she said rudely.

Eddy's facial expression turned to one of irritation so he let go of her hand and she fell on her butt again 'Hey!' Sarah cried.

Eddy shrugged as if it was her fault '…You're not going out like that are you?' he asked, pointing out the beer stain on her dress.

'Agh, shit,' Sara swore. 'Thanks a lot asshole, now I'm gonna have to change.'

Eddy raised an eyebrow at her bad language then proceeded into the living room where his two friends were preoccupied with a gaming console 'Ed, you really gotta do something about your sister's potty mouth dude…!'

Sarah made her way up to her bedroom to change into a different outfit. It took her a while on account of her having to jump into the shower to rinse off the sticky beverage from her body as well as finding another outfit just as good as the first from the stacks that weren't on the floor or in the laundry basket. Between that and finding matching shoes and redoing her makeup, she had nothing but time to think.

She replayed the scene several times in her mind, her heart pounding furiously from the close contact they had shared. Admittedly, her feelings were hurt by the way he had talked to and treated her. Sure she started it but it was never her intention to be a jerk.

Why wasnt she nicer? Why did he have to be so mean and selfish? Why did she have to always pretend to be mean to him? Why couldn't he be friendly like Double D or considerate like her brother? Why couldn't she be civil to him? Why did he always have to provoke her?

She jogged downstairs yet again, making a point to not forget anything this time. She almost ran past the living room when her older brother called her back. When she stood by the doorway she saw Jimmy uncomfortably sitting among the Eds, his face bored and impatient.

'What?' Sarah asked her brother. Jimmy, with a relieved look on his face, had stood up quickly as soon as he saw her but Ed pulled his shoulder to sit him back down without removing his gaze from the console.

After a moment, Ed dropped his console as Eddy exclaimed in victory, probably winning the game. The older sibling looked at his sister and crossed his arms unimpressed at her.

'Are you really going out like that?' her brother asked protectively, looking very distastefully at her crop top and short shorts with boots outfit.

Eddy wolf whistled 'Nice upgrade half-pint,' he winked at her then went back to the gaming console, not giving her a second glance. That disappointed a part of Sarah.

'Yea, wont it be cold?' Double D asked, an iPad on his lap and reading glasses on his face.

'You aren't mom Ed,' Sarah pointed out defiantly, putting her hands on her hips and ignoring the other comments from the others.

Her brother frowned and sighed, knowing to pick his battles carefully. 'Nazz told us about the party, so we're gonna be there.' Ed explained. 'I'll give you a ride back home afterwards.'

She had nearly forgotten that Double D was dating Nazz so the Eds were automatically added to the guest list because she was the hostess.

A part of Sarah was annoyed at the fact that her overly protective brother would be there, watching her every move but another part of her knew that with Ed came Eddy. They practically came as a set. She could watch Eddy the whole night and maybe… her mind froze. What was she thinking? Eddy wouldn't want to dance or hang out with her, especially not in public. Especially when Nazz had hot older friends. Especially when Lee Kanker was going to be there. And with the scene she had just put on earlier over the beer stain, she highly doubted he'd even want to speak a word to her tonight.

'Uhm, I'll pass,' Sarah said, feigning a smile. 'Thanks for the offer though big brother! Come on Jimmy let's go.'


	2. Envy

**_Envy_**

"I really need to get wasted tonight," Sarah told her best friend.

"You have my blessing," Jimmy replied. "You've been taking twice as many required classes this term. I'm surprised you made it out alive."

Sarah playfully stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled back and said "It's like you're trying to graduate early or something."

"I guess I just need to keep myself busy or else I go crazy." She lied.

Jimmy knew her better than anyone else and he wasn't buying her story; little did he know he wasn't too far from the truth. By taking up extra credits, Sarah did intend to seem more mature and responsible for her her age, with the hope of earning the respect and attention of a certain older man…

"Well, now its summer and I forbid you to work," Jimmy chastised.

"Yes sir!" Sarah said as she mock saluted. The radio began playing an upbeat pop song that filled the car with a pleasant melodious sound.

"Oh my gosh, this is my song!" she scram, turning the volume knob up and dancing in her seat whilst singing along.

As they pulled up to the woods, they were suprised to find it already abuzz with people, despite it being fairly early in the night. Some were already drunk, vomitting on trees and starrering through the crowds of merrymakers. Most of the girls present were clad in skimpy outfits and as electronic music playing from the distance caused them to sway around, several grinding sensually on guys holding foam cups. It looked as though the whole town had showed up for Nazz's party. The vibe was promising and for the first time that night, Sarah felt like everything was going to be just alright. Eddy or no Eddy.

"I wanna party till I can't see you baby…!" the two of them sang along to the radio excitedly.

...

Sarah had begun drinking as soon as she spotted the barrels of alcohol.

She had decided that she was not going to waste any more time staying sober and remembering how miserable her love life was, what with all the couples hanging about in the vicinity. They were all conspiring, determined to remind her every two seconds with their public displays of affection of the love that lacked in her life. Even Jimmy had spotted his boyfriend and they were off dancing somewhere so Sarah had resorted to hanging out with Nazz. She wasn't even ready to play third wheel.

"Nazz, have a drink!" Sarah cooed, half drunk. "This is your party!"

"I am not touching that stuff. Kevin and Rolf put god-knows-what in the punch. And anyway, you know I don't drink," she said, twirling her hips to the music coming from the DJ stage. "I get high on life."

"You mean on boringness," Sarah teased as she gulped down another drink, pouring yet another.

"Yea, that," giggled Nazz who donned tights and a stylish tank top with a pair of Converse. "Hey, you need to slow down on those Sarah, or else I'm gonna have to carry you back home again. I really don't want Ed grilling me about your drinking habits. "

Sarah rolled her eyes and put her arms in the air "Ok, I'll slow down and be boring like you."

Sarah was beginning to wonder where the Eds were.

It had been four and a half hours into the party, nearing 1am and there was still no sign of them. She wondered if Nazz had spoken to her boyfriend about their whereabouts. The blonde probably had because she didn't look too distressed about Double D not being there. Sarah battled with herself over asking what time they were coming. In her now drunken state, she was starting to feel like she was missing Eddy's presence.

It was Eddy's absence that was causing her unnecessary anxiety and the only way she knew to calm her nerves was with liquid courage. She had completely dismissed Nazz's plea to slow down and enjoyed the elated sensation drunkness provided, fuelling it with more alcohol. It gave her strength of will to go out in search of guys to dance. None of them were half as interesting as the man on her mind but she kept up the charade because she was lonley and they helped kill the time, as boring as they were. Eventually she became bored and agitated by their mindless chatter and so she fished out her friend from the sea of people.

"Well, hey there girls," a familiar voice said behind them.

Two of the Kanker sisters stood behind Nazz, and Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Hey," Nazz said politely like the nice person and host she was. Sarah didn't even bother to greet them, she just gave a nod of acknowledgement to Lee and a smile to her brother's dimwit girlfriend May who had come up to hug her.

"Cool party you have here, sweetheart," Lee said to Nazz, an insincere smile on her face.

"Thanks, Lee," Nazz said. "Good to hear you're enjoying yourself. Where's Liz?"

"She said she didn't want to be at her ex-boyfriend's girlfriend's party" May said honestly, which earned her an elbowing from Lee.

"She's not feeling too good," Lee cleared up then she began to pour herself a drink. Sarah gave Lee's back a good once over.

Boy did she look good and did Sarah hate her for it.

Lee was wearing tight leather pants, a revealing V-neck top and matching black sandals, pulling her fiery red hair into a ponytail that exposed her perfect shoulders as her piercing blue eyes were curtained by full thick bangs. She didn't even have to try to dress to impress.

May may not be the smartest person around, but she also knew how to accentuate her best features - her legs. She wore a short tight pink dress that had a belt on her small waist and ankle high boots. Her blonde hair was in light soft curls and her makeup was done to perfection, as always. She had always been nice to Sarah, and Sarah honestly didn't even have anything against her, except her sister. But other than that, she thought May was probably the perfect girl for her older brother.

"Have you seen Eddy anywhere?" Lee asked, and Sarah felt a twinge of jealously because Lee had every right to ask and she didn't.

"He's on his was with Ed and Double D" Nazz informed her.

"Yay," May said excitedly, clapping her hands together like a seal.

Lee rolled her eyes at her sister then her intimidating gaze sat on Sarah's. They held it for a couple of moments and Sarah could tell that Lee really didn't like her, not even a single bit. It made Sarah feel awkwardly exposed and she felt like she was missing something.

Well then that made them equal because Sarah wasn't exactly a fan of hers either.

"I'm gonna go sit by those rocks over there," Sarah told Nazz, wanting to get away from the tension, she selfishly grabbed whole a bottle of Tanqueray and a half full Sprite one. "Feeling a bit dizzy."

...

Double D had parked far away from where the actual party was because there was no more parking left nearby. Lots of cars had parked in others and it gave the illusion of vehicles stacked on top of one another.

Almost as soon as they steeped foot out of the truck, May had jumped on Ed, legs wrapped around his waist and kissed him.

"Hey sugar," she said with her arms around his neck. Ed smiled happily and kissed her back.

"Hey," Ed held her up against him longer. "How's the party going?"

"It was boring until now," she said smiling.

"Yeah yea, where's the booze?" asked Eddy impatiently.

May pointed to the stand where a keg, huge punch bowl, several cooler boxes and crates of beers where.

"Have you seen my sister?" asked Ed.

"Yea, she's alright. She's with Nazz and Lee by the booze." May replied. Double D lit up at the mention of his girlfriend.

"What?" asked Eddy midstride to the alcohol. "You have to be fucken kidding me."

"Nope," May said, oblivious to the fact that it was a rhetorical question, not meaning to be answered.

Lee and Eddy had been hooking up a lot during the term.

She was, after all, very sexy. He wanted her like all the other guys she came across but that was where his feelings for her ended. At lust. Although she didn't seem to understand that. She had begun to display signs of clinginess that were too intense for his liking. The fiery red head had taken way too much interest in him, and he was fed up with her pretend girlfriend act.

At the beginning they had agreed that their relationship would just be physical. Eddy had repeatedly told her during the course of their secret rendezvous that he wasn't interested in a being tied down. However, Lee would not have that; although she acted like she was fine with the arrangement, she was sure she would change him. Make him fall in love. Her attachment escalated to the point where she began duplicating his apartment keys, waiting for him after class by his car and scaring away any potential new flings.

It drove Eddy crazy and he was currently at the point where he couldn't even stand the sight of her so he actively avoided her around town.

He changed his cellphone number and door locks, also going to the extent of no longer driving to university, opting to car pool with Double D so that Lee couldn't wait by his car. The only two places he felt Lee-free were on campus because she wasn't enrolled and at Ed's house. He spent a lot of time at those two places when he wasn't at work just to avoid her.

And now here she was, waiting to confront and trail him around like a lost puppy.

"Think I'll go… socialize and shit. I'll catch up with you guys," Eddy lied, going in the opposite direction as the drink stand, very angry that he was probably going to be the only one sober at the party. And alcohol was the main reason he even came.

He headed to the other end of the drinks stand by a couple of rocks where it was relatively dark and spotted a female figure sitting by them, cup in hand looking into the party.

The full bottles of Tanqueray and Sprite by her also caught his attention, so he decided to make friends because he needed to get drunk. Between work and studying this would probably be the only other chance he would get for a very long time.

When he got close enough, the flashing lights from the party umasked a strawberry haired teenager whose pretty features revealed her drunken state and boredom; she seemed to be scanning the party as if she was looking for someone.

"Sarah?"


	3. Vain

**_Vain_**

Eddy squinted to make sure it was Sarah he was seeing. A part of him hesitated to approach the volatile girl. Looking behind him to Lee, he found himself trapped, forced to choose the lesser evil.

In the dim illumination of the moonlight and the flashing colors, Sarah looked different. Older perhaps? Maybe even, dare he think it… Sexy…?

The shoulder length hair hung loosely, framing her face as the tips teased the 32Bs that popped out of the crop top that her older brother disapproved of. As Eddy watched her, he could see the kid had the body for it. Her tight tummy on display looked seductive and the shorts she donned did quite a good job of hugging her hips and full thighs. The older male caught himself staring and shook away the less than innocent thoughts of her beginning to form in his head, replacing hem with the more annoying girl he grew up with.

He was suprised he even noticed her like that. Sarah had never once stood out in any particular way other than for her foul attitude towards him.

Then again, it was dark and he was alcohol deprived, so he really didn't know what the hell was happening to him to make him notice these things. Perhaps little annoying Sarah wasn't as little anymore.

"Oh, hey asshole," she said perkily. So maybe she wasn't as little anymore, but she sure as hell was still annoying.

Her eyes were glazed over. It was pretty obvious that she had had one too many drinks. And yet here she was with more alcohol going at it like a pro. Eddy mentally gave her kudos for still drinking after she was already clearly intoxicated.

"What are you doing here Small-Pint?" he asked.

"Drinking," she replied almost shyly. Her tone threw Eddy off because he was not used to her being so soft spoken. It was a good look on her and Eddy almost wished she was always so nice. Then maybe life would be bearable around her.

"Alone?" asked Eddy.

"What's with the third degree," she asked madly now as if she remembered to be a brat. "I just don't want to be around people, okay?"

The man looked at her curiously, once again irritated by her attitude. He was about to walk away because he was in no mood for her baby bipolar shit. He was not going to go hiding from one insufferable woman to go and chill with another unbearable one. It would be better to be the lone wolf at the party in peace.

Sarah then said apologetically "Jimmy and Nazz are with their boyfriends and I'm sick of being the third wheel."

"Oh," he said, feeling bad for her. "Then go dance, I bet there'll be tonnes of guys out here willing to dance and hit on a girl like you."

"I already did. I'm avoiding them now. Their creeps," she said.

He looked back at the party where people were dancing and were either pairing up or were in groups of three or four. He spotted Ed with May and knew that if Ed saw his sister alone, he would force her to join the two.

His friend would not have said it because he's a good brother, but having his little sister ruin the night would not be 'fun' …And also, if there was one thing Eddy knew about Ed and May was that they weren't the greatest company. They're antics made Eddy want to both kill himself and them. Sure they were good people but they were also idiots. In Eddys opinion, no human should ever be tortured with their couple presence. Not even Sarah.

Just then, Eddy saw that Lee had spotted him talking to Sarah and was immediately in flight mode. She was making her way towards them through the thick crowd of people and shrubbery. He had to get away from her or else the damn Kanker would ruin any chances of him having a good time. All he could do now was run. Away. Fast.

"How about we go sit by the lake?" he suggested to Sarah. "It's real cool out there."

Sarah looked at him puzzled and unsure like she was weighing her options.

"You could also stay out here and be hit on by drunk losers in cheap skinny jeans," Eddy said. "Your choice Small-Pint."

She looked into the party then back at him and finally stood, handing Eddy the alcohol.

...

Eddy had looked back behind them to make sure the coast was clear.

They were on an isolated part of the woods that would be difficult for anyone to stumble on. He first knew of the place when his brother had brought him to swim during his childhood. There was no way anyone, especially Lee would track him down (even in her desperateness). Then again, never underestimate a woman on a mission. Especially if her name was Lee Kanker.

They sat by a tree where the water sparkled in the moonlight. It was deathly silent but it didn't feel awkward. The music could still be heard clearly and its vibrations tremored lightly in the trees.

Sarah offered him her cup "You look like you could use a drink."

"Thanks," he said, pouring himself a good helping of Tanqueray and a small measure of Sprite. It tasted heavenly on his tongue and he gulped it down quickly, afterwards pouring another. Sarah giggled at the sight and hugged her legs. Eddy did it twice more and once he decided he'd had his fill, he put the cup on the grass and sat contentedly, staring out into the lake.

"Wouldn't it be so cool to skinny dip now," Sarah wondered outloud.

Eddy winced "I wouldn't recommend it. Drunk people in water can't really tell which way is up."

"How would you know?" she asked.

"One, it's common sense," he explained in a know it all tone. "And two, let's just say it was a businesss deal gone wrong."

"You mean a scam." Sarah corrected.

"It's not a scam if it's legitimate," Eddy pointed out.

"How legitimate could it be if some drunk person almost died?"

Eddy looked at her "Look, dumb people do dumb shit. It's not my fault if they do it when they're doing business with me."

"Right." Sarah laughed drunkenly. "I can't believe how greedy you are."

The DJ began to play an upbeat pop song and a drunk Sarah got up, bouncing up and down, her hips swaying. "My song! Dance with me, Eddy!"

"I dont dance sweetheart," Eddy replied in a bored manner, a hint of his city accent coming through.

The girl shrugged and begun twirling her hips to the melody filing the air. Her hands were rubbing the smooth curves of her outline and she seemed pretty content and happy to be dancing alone.

He watched with intrigue at this other side of her.

It suprised him how much of a likeable person she became when she wasn't bouncing off the walls or throwing snarky comments around. Her movements were effortless and graceful, almost perfect in the moonlight. She wasn't half bad like this.

Although he had to admit, he liked the psychotic side of her too. It added spice to her personality and it showed she could stand up for herself, however infuriating it was. He hadn't met any other girl who could seem both innocent and murderous at the same time.

Sarah reached out to take Eddy's hand and suprisingly he didn't resist when she pulled him up. She turned and started to grind on him a bit too sensually. Eddy took in her floral scent as she placed his hands on her bare waist. Her skin was soft to Eddy's touch as his hand begun to wonder the contours of her body.

Never had he once thought of her as anything other that his friend's baby sister. But now he could see that she was no baby, no. She was a woman. One who was aggravating forbidden feelings in this particular man.

"You keep dancing like this you'll get into trouble," he whispered in her ear. He wrapped his arms around her as she continued to push up against him.

Sarah blushed and continued, smiling to herself. Maybe she had a chance after all..?

"Hey!" a shrill voice yelled. "So you're hiding here huh."

Sarah stopped dancing and looked at the familiar figure behind her. Lee stood there looking mad and incredibly displeased with what she was seeing. Sarah felt shame and even guilt from being caught red handed with someone else's man. Sure she wanted him, but was this the price she was willing to pay?

"What the hell is happening here?" Lee demanded.


	4. Ignorance

**_Ignorance_**

"Jesus, Lee!" Eddy exclaimed, clearly peeved.

Sarah didn't say a word but stood her ground as best as she knew how behind Eddy. Lee glared at her. The older female was known for getting into fights that nearly always ended with her opponents in hospital or halfway to the morgue.

Lee marched towards them, wanting to get a good swing at Sarah but Eddy stopped her.

"I can't believe you're here with that slut!" Lee said madly at him as he held her arms down to stop her from fidgeting. She tried her best to break free from his grip but was failing dismally.

At this point, Sarah's back was against a tree and she was contemplating running for her own safety. As tough as she always seemed to be, she really didn't like to get into physical fights. Sure she had been violent when she was younger, but she outgrew it.

"Relax toots, damn," Eddy said. "Nothing was happening, we were just dancing."

"You expect me to believe that?!"

"Yes actually," Eddy relayed. "Because what we were or weren't doing is really any of your fucken business."

"Like hell it isn't Eddy!" She fought again to break out of his grip, even attempting to kick at Sarah but she was too far.

"You need to stop, goddammit. We aren't dating," Eddy half yelled.

That earned him a death look from Lee. Sarah thought she saw a flicker of hurt in Lee's eyes as she stopped flailing about. "Really? You're gonna say all that stupid shit after everything that happened between us?"

Eddy frowned and shook his head, sighing boredly "I told you I didn't want a relationship with you and you go around stalking me and shit. It's driving me insane Lee, you need to stop. I'm just not interested."

Sarah felt hurt by those words, even though they weren't directed at her. If Eddy could put down sexy Lee so harshly, what made her think she'd be the exception? And with him not wanting to commit would he even reciprocate the feelings? Eddy was the type of guy who would rip apart her fragile heart and dance all over the pieces triumphantly.

"You don't mean that Eddy, you're drunk," Lee's voice cracked and her mad eyes were glossy with tears that she fought back.

"I mean every word of it," Eddy said. "You can't take a hint. This is the only way I can get through to you."

That earned him a loud resounding slap from the Kanker sister and Sarah gasped at its intensity. It sounded, looked and probably felt painful as hell.

"Fine, Eddy. I got your message, loud and clear," Lee said, pointing threateningly. She turned on her heel and ran back into the woods.

Sarah stood by the tree, not knowing what to say.

The alcohol in her system made her want to laugh at the whole scene. Another part of her was scared Lee would want some sort of revenge on her for breaking up her pretend relationship with Eddy. A really small part of her wanted to run back home and bury her head and not give Eddy the chance to hurt her feelings like he had brutally done with Lee.

He was unkind and merciless and every girl was probably a toy to him. Why did she think she would be the exception?

"You okay?" Eddy asked, turning to Sarah.

She nodded, not saying a word and frozen on the tree's trunk.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he feigned sincerity, stepping closer. "Lee…" he stopped not knowing how to phrase what he wanted to say "… she got the wrong idea about me and her, I just needed to set things straight."

Eddy was now too close. He looked down at the girl, unsure of what was going through her mind. She looked frightened and nervous, her breathing was shallow and forced. He smirked at her expression, glancing at her soft full lips.

A need to kiss them suddenly filled his mind. The kid had one hell of a sexy body and there was no way he could un-notice that. Maybe it was because he had alcohol in his system, maybe it was because he had never seen her so helpless... what ever the reason, he suddenly felt extremely attracted to her. He wanted to leave his mark on her exposed neck and get a good grasp of those smooth thighs.

His eyes met hers and he read the intimidation in her eyes "Are you scared, Sarah?"

Sarah's heart quickened. His very presence coerced reverence and his cunning personality drew her in. She had gone from desperately wanting to be with him to being scared of being used by him. However, the fear of being used was quickly being overtaken by the longing she had for him to touch, kiss and hold her.

Like a moth to a flame.

"No," she said, boldly. The air was thick with the intensity of raw attraction between them.

Eddy could tell she was fibbing. And from his grin she knew he could tell. To prove him wrong, she leaned closer and kissed him, unsure whether of how he'd take it.

Eddy returned it hungrily, pleased that she was giving herself to him, a major ego boost. He put his hands on her waist and softly prodded her mouth open to caress her tongue with his own. It earned a soft mew from Sarah who now had her arms around his neck, pulling him even deeper to the kiss. He pulled away and nibbled on her neck, trailing the pecks to her jaw. Sarah thought she was going to explode when he swiftly undid her top and his large hands met with her bare mounds "Eddy…"

She tasted of alcohol. Eddy assumed she would sign this off as a drunken mistake the next morning. He didnt mind though. He knew she wanted this, probably more than he did and he hadn't tried to resist her. Her soft kisses made his heart quicken with desire and that wasn't the only place blood was furiously rushing to. He growled, drawing her pelvis into his growing one with one hand as the other began to unbutton her shorts; but she stopped him.

"Eddy, wait…" she said.

Eddy reluctantly stopped, he didn't think he could wait too long to engage in conversation. This had better be good "What's wrong?"

"I… I'm…" Sarah looked down nervously.

He raised an eyebrow at her demeanor and put two and two together, like it should have been obvious from the beginning. He understood before she even finished her sentence.

"...Oh, shit..." he said, removing his hands off her. "Shit."

"It's just that I'm drunk, you're drunk, we barely know each other, it's cold, there are bugs everywhere and that whole thing with Lee…" she mumbled. "I just pictured my first time playing out differently…"

He nodded, looking at her and suddenly thinking what a delicate flower she was. So untouched. He had never thought of her as a sexual being. It never seemed to be any of his business. And now, he didn't know what to make of the situation. She had kissed him and they were definitely attracted to one another… he knew it'd take a lot for him to get that out of his head… but she was his friends little sister, three years younger than he and she was a virgin.

Eddy wasnt sure he wanted to be her first. Usually that spot was reserved for someone special, not a sleazebag out for some kicks. He decided it was too much of a responsibility -no, too much of a burden- to undertake. He knew that she would expect things of him he wasn't even sure he was capable of. Like love and consideration or intimacy and gentleness or dare he say... kindness.

It felt wrong, and yet…

"I'm sorry," she said, when she probably assumed that the silence meant he was displeased or angry at her.

"Don't be," Eddy said, sounding disappointed. He watched as she fixed up her ruffled clothing, his dark eyes carefully scanning her face. What had happened to the bitchy little Sarah he knew just hours ago?

She smiled innocently at him, and looked like she was going to say something else, but was holding back for fear of judgement.

"What?" he prodded.

"I… like you," she said nervously. " I've really liked you for a while now, as more than friends."

Eddy looked at the younger girl, completely blown away by her confession. "What?" He reiterated, his tone suprised.

She sure as hell had made it seem like the opposite. He was so convinced that she had kept her Double D childhood crush and her hatred towards him. All this time she insulted him and acted indifferent towards him when she was really harboring romantic feelings for him?

Females were strange creatures.

What was he supposed to say to that? He had just got out of a rollercoaster ride of emotions with Lee Kanker and really didn't want to get into another one, especially with Sarah. She might take things personally because she was younger and a virgin.

However, she was different from Lee and all the other girls he hooked up with.

On the one hand, she was inexperienced, sassy, upfront, bossy, psychotic but on the the other hand, she was sensual, fun, beautiful, sexy, smart and potentially great company.

"Are you gonna say anything?" she asked, slightly angry.

"Still processing," He replied, his eyes focused on the lake now, pensive. He was weighing his options. Was she worth it? He knew he could get away with taking advantage of her but something about that didn't sit so well with him. Maybe because of her brother. Maybe because of the naive look she was giving him.

"Hey Eddy, what happened with Lee?" Nazz's voice filled the air suddenly. The two turned to see Nazz and Double D standing there. Eddy's secret spot wasn't much of a secret anymore.

"Yea, she marched out of the party cursing you and in tears," Edd informed them.

"Sarah?" Nazz asked, noticing her friend in the dim light of the woods. "What are you guys doing here?"


	5. Lust

**_Lust_**

Eddy had barely spoken a word to Sarah in two weeks. She would have been able to deal with his rejection if he hadn't been coming over to her house every other day. When she knew he was around she would go out of her way to avoid him. It wasn't difficult because he never made much of an effort to get her attention either, walking past her like she was furniture and avoiding her eyes when she was in the same room.

Sarah found herself spending more time away from her own house and alternating between sleeping at Nazz and Jimmy's apartments. This particular night was no good, however. Double D had Nazz booked for a romantic date night and Jimmy was out of town visiting relatives.

"Dont worry, it's just one night," Nazz reassured her.

"Easy for you to say, you wont be alone," Sarah replied sullenly.

The two were sitting in Nazz's bedroom, resting after a long day of shopping as Nazz prepared for her date. Being with her best friend helped Sarah get her mind off Eddy, but only temporarily. She had told Nazz what happened by the lake and Nazz was just as suprised as Eddy had been.

"You need to talk to him." Nazz told her friend.

"I will do no such thing," Sarah replied, fidgeting with her hair. "He's not interested, why else would he just stop talking to me?"

"Well, it is a lot to take in," replied the blonde. "Even I'm still processing!"

Sarah sighed "I shouldnt have told him. I'm so stupid. "

Nazz turned from doing her makeup and sat by the edge of the bed where her friend was perched, disheartened. She rubbed her back, "You're overthinking this," she said. "Just give him time. Its not like he said he wasnt interested. "

"He might as well have!" Sarah mumbled, now playing with the corner of the comforrter.

Nazz cooed and gave her a hug, even though Sarah didnt think it helped matters much. Nazz was a hugger and she usually did it to make herself feel better for not fixing the problem. The younger female was still glad she had her to talk to about all of this. If she had kept all that information to herself she would have gone insane.

There was a knock on the front door.

"That must be Double D, and I'm not even dressed yet!" Nazz said, quickly returning to her dressing table.

"I'll go get the door," Sarah offered. She heard Nazz yell her gratitude from the hallway of the apartment.

When she opened the door, she saw Edd standing there in a well fitted tuxedo that had a white jacket and tie with black slacks. He looked handsome. He had replaced his lanky childhood stature with a more manly muscular and lean frame; it was coupled with neatly shaven raven hair and a well trimmed fuzz on his chin. His piercing brown eyes hid behind small retangular glasses that didn't deduct from his good looks.

The man's smile faltered a bit when he saw that it wasnt Nazz who had answered, he lowered his hands that had flowers and chocolate in them. "Hello Sarah," he said politely. "I wasn't aware you'd be here."

"Well I am, but unfortunately I wont be joining you on your date," Sarah said, walking back to Nazz's room and leaving the door open for Double D to follow.

When she went back into the room, Nazz was in the bathroom, probably curling her hair. Double D sat by her desk and put down the gifts he came bearing. Sarah took this chance to get his opinion on her situation.

"Hey, Double D, I have a hypothetical question," she began, sitting cross legged on Nazz's bed.

"Okay, " he said adjusting his glasses and leaning in to listen carefully.

"So I have this friend...you dont know her... she likes this guy and she told him but he didnt say anything back to her and he's now avoiding her."

Sarah looked at Edd for any hint of bad news, he just nodded to signify he was paying attention.

"Do you think he's interested or not?" She concluded.

"Did the guy tell your friend he was not interested in her?" He asked.

"No."

"Is he in a relationship?"

"No."

"Their both single?"

"Yup," Sarah said, hoping he didnt have anymore questions.

"Did your 'friend' expect him to say he liked her too when she told him about feelings?"

Sarah stopped and had to think about that one, maybe? Yes? No?

"I ... I dont know." She replied slowly, staring at the carpet.

"Hmm," Double D began. "In my personal opinion, she just caught him off guard. He's probably sorting through his feelings for her."

"That's what I said too," Nazz said, emerging from the bathroom in a strapless black mid thigh long dress and matching heels.

She had her hair tied up and her bangs were freshly curled. Her pearly whites sparkled as she smiled at her boyfriend "Hi," she said to him, giving a little twirl. "How do I look?"

Double D went to embrace her, placing a kiss on her cheek. He handed her the presents "you look amazing... these are for you."

"Awww, Double D you shouldn't have!" She kissed his lips. "Their beautiful. Lemmi put them in some water before we leave."

The three went into her small kitchen and Nazz got a vase to put the fresh flowers in.

"Your friend should be a bit patient with this guy," Double D informed Sarah. "Sometimes the male brain can be slow when it comes to these things."

"So should I -I mean she- talk to him bout it?" Sarah asked.

"No," Double D said and Nazz said "Yes. " at the same time. Sarah looked between both of them and they laughed.

"Guess you're gonna have to figure that out yourself, " Edd concluded.

Sarah blushed when he said 'yourself'. He knew she was talking about herself. At least he wouldn't know who the guy was unless Eddy told him. Nazz was sworn to secrecy.

" Well, I should go," she said. "Have fun you two."

...

On the drive back home, Sarah tried not to think why Eddy was being such a standoffish jerk. Maybe she shouldn't have said a thing to him about her feelings. She hated every single moment she spent wondering what she had done wrong, it was like she was worse off now than before.

It was 8pm when she arrived back home to see Eddy's car parked outside the apartment. She entered the kitchen and found him ransacking the fridge. Her brother was in his bedroom with his girlfriend as usual. She figured that was the reason Eddy was grabbing food alone; he didnt want to be part of their couple activities. Plus Eddy rarely ever made meals at his place.

He had clearly just come from work because he was still wearing his suit slacks, but the tie was disguarded. The strawberry haired girl decided she'd be brave and at least talk to him, but she wasnt going to bring up her confession, lest she appear desperate.

"You know you could just order in at your own place," Sarah informed him.

Eddy took a sip of his beer and put the plate of leftovers in the microwave, not facing her "Takeout's are a waste of money, and they are unhealthy," he said. "Also, May's always bring over food that you two don't finish."

"Right," Sarah replied. "So… how are you?"

"Good," Eddy replied, facing her and eating the warmed chicken a la king leftovers May had cooked last night. "Work's kinda crazy. But everything's dandy."

"Oh, cool," Sarah said, grabbing a packet of chips from the cabinet. She really didn't want to stay too long in the same room as him because she didnt trust herself to not bring up the lake confession. The last thing she wanted was to come across as one of those clingy girls. It would be pathetic and embarrassing.

She had begun to leave when Eddy said cooly "What are you doing tonight?"

"Probably watching movies on Netflix," Sarah replied, leaning on the door.

"Wan go grab something to eat and couple of drinks?" he asked confidently, still munching away at his meal, gaze fixed on her.

"What, now?" asked Sarah, unsure of how to react. A part of her was excited this was even happening. That he was here, talking to her, asking her to go grab something to eat and a couple of drinks.

"Want me to take a backseat to Netflix?" he asked, finishing the meal. "Come on, I'll even pay for everything. "

Sarah grinned, noting how hard it must have been for him to even say that. Eddy had always been as stingy with the funds as they came.

"So, like a date?" asked Sarah, her eyebrows raised in defiance.

Eddy shrugged "Are you going to make me beg?" he asked, now putting the plate in the dishwasher.

"Alright, alright," Sarah said. "But I need to take a shower first; it's been a long day. I'll be down in fifteen minutes."

Eddy didn't have a chance to reply before she dashed upstairs.

What the hell was he doing, he asked himself. This was Sarah! The same Sarah who taunted him his whole childhood and a good part of his adult years. This was the same Sarah who claimed to hate him and never hesitated to let him know when given the chance. The same Sarah who called out his scams when he was a teenager. The same Sarah he thought was a spoilt entitled brat... the same Sarah he couldnt get out of his mind for the past two weeks.

He headed to the living room, checking business related emails and trying to block out the sounds of May and Ed's lovemaking in the adjacent room.

Ed would probably flip if he knew he was going on a 'date' with his precious baby sister. However, Eddy figured what he didn't know couldn't hurt him. In his defence, Eddy felt like this was the only other way he would probably come to his senses concerning Sarah. Ignoring her sure as hell hadn't worked; everytime he saw her he fought the urge to kiss her soft lips or ask her how her day was and listen to every single detail about it.

She was all he could think about over the last two weeks and he wanted to ensure that this was all a huge misunderstanding. That it was all in his head. He needed to make sure that he and Sarah were in fact completely incompatible. Then he could move on with his life, screw other women and when he finally graduated, move to New York City.

"Hey," she called from the doorway, interrupting his thoughts of her.

Standing there was the slim strawberry blonde donning a short, tight red dress with lace detail on the shoulders and a pair of red six inch heels.

Eddy swallowed hard and swore inside his head. There was a good chance his plan of him forgetting Sarah by taking her on a date would not work. Any idea that she was a baby was completely gone from his head and he wondered if he would make it through the night without dying of a heart attack.

"Wow, Small-Pint," he said, mouth agape.

The sexual tension made the atmosphere thick with lust. Her eyes looked up at him expectantly and she bit her lip like she did when she was nervous. "Too much?"

"Uhh. No," he said, standing. "You look sexy. Plus I'm wearing this monkey suit so I guess you look fine."

Sarah smiled, extra pleased with herself when she noted Eddy eyeing her petite frame. He ushered her to his car, a black Audi A5 and opened the door for her.

...

"Where are we goin?" Sarah asked.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "Just focus on looking pretty. You'll see when we get there."

Eddy drove in silence to a restaurant where he had a large tab and knew the owner of the place

That way, he could get an instant reservation where some other people had to wait four weeks for a seat by the bar.

"Ah, Eddy!" A heavyset man with a thick French accent greeted him like they were long lost brothers. "Where have you been, my friend?"

"Making money," Eddy said charmingly, shaking the man's hand.

"I see that… luxury car, fine suits and a beautiful lady on your hand," the man smiled widely at Sarah, taking her hand and kissing it. "Eddy knows how to pick the beautiful ones."

Sarah smiled, blushing a bit at the compliment.

"This is Sarah," Eddy introduced. "Sarah, this is Pierre, one of the best chefs and restaurateur in the country."

"Aw, Enchante" the man said to Sarah, then he asked "Table for two?"

"Yes, please," Eddy said. The man went to enquire something by reception, and left the two standing in the fine restaurant. He was back in a matter of seconds. "Right this way, please."

As he led them down a corridor long corridor, Eddy took Sarah's hand in his. She smiled at this unexpected gesture, enjoying how well their hands fit together.

The young woman was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful scenery on the balcony; the warm summer air danced about the Parisian styled restaurant, vines entertwined with lights on the surrounding walls in an intricate pattern and a violinist played beautiful melodies for them.

It was hot inside and Sarah was pleased that they got to sit outside. Not only was it was secluded so that it was just the two of them, they had a beautiful view of the metropolis and the wide open skies filled with bright stars.

Eddy pulled out her chair for her and he took his before a waiter handed them the menus.

"I recommend the special today, the finest imported ingredients in our surprise main dish. It will certainly not disappoint… and a bottle of our the finest winest wine is on the house," the restaurantur said. "It's the least I can do for the man who saved my business and his lady."

Eddy smiled thankfully "Merci boucoup, Pierre."

"If there is anything at all you need," Pierre informed. "Just let me know."

"Thank you," Sarah said. When he was left, Eddy began scanning through the menu options and Sarah just sat there and stared at him.

He looked up, and noticed her shy smile "What?" He asked.

"You saved that man's business?" she asked.

"Yeah. His restaurant chain was going to go bankrupt," he explained. "Gave a bit of the good ol' Eddy financial advice."

"Looks like you're not such a huge loser after all."

He laughed and graciously took the compliment. Instead of going back to his menu, the older man held her gaze for a few seconds and she felt butterflies in her tummy, the same butterflies she felt by the lake.

She looked down and went through the options just to avoid looking into his dark, perfect and very intimidating eyes. Everything was expensive and it all looked so exotic.

She couldn't believe he was really doing this.


	6. Sin

**_Sin_**

"Who knew Eddy could be so nice," Sarah thought outloud, sipping some of the sweet, matured wine.

"Well dont go around telling people," Eddy replied. "This may be a once off thing for all you know."

Sarah said "I should kiss you more often then."

He smirked "Maybe you should. " he replied. "Nothing gets you free dinners like kisses."

She blushed, embarrassed at what she had implied of herself. Eddy quickly noted this and changed the subject "So what do you usually spend your summers doing?"

The first meal came and they ate as she spoke "Hanging out with my friends or reading," she told him. "I have a list of books I've been meaning to get through before next semester..."

Soon, they were four courses down and Sarah was both beginning to feel stuffed and like her ribcage was going to explode from all the laughing she was doing at Eddy's stories and comments on things she said.

He paid careful attention to her cues and listening intently, wanting to know every single detail of her life. It felt nice to be appreciated and showered with such affection, or maybe she was just projecting the good feelings because of how she felt about him. What with the bottle of Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1940 she was starting to feel light headed and slightly horny.

"...Work here is just fine, but I really wanted to move to New York and dive into the world of the Stock Exchange," he was telling her, sipping his wine as the final dish - a complicated sounding and looking dessert - came. "It's been a dream of mine for as long as I could remember."

"When will you be going?" asked Sarah like she didn't know the answer to the question already from all the times she had eavesdropped on him telling his friends the plan.

"When I graduate," he said. "Then hopefully I never have to step foot in a classroom or lecture venue again."

Sarah smiled "You better make sure you graduate then."

"Oh, don't worry. That's a given. If I'm strugglin I'll just get you to tutor me," he said. "I heard you were taking extra credit?"

"What? From where?"

"Ed." He said grinning. "The guy gushes over you so much, he's real proud."

"Oh, yea. I guess," she said. "I'm just taking four extra classes."

"Just four extra?" Eddy repeated. "Little Sarah's a bookworm."

She blushed "I like staying two steps ahead."

"Then that makes you my kinda woman" he winked, smirking at her. His expression turned serious momentarily and he said "Listen, about the last couple of weeks…"

"No need to explain, Eddy," she said. "It's not like I was waiting by my phone for you to call or anything."

He leaned backwards on his chair and looked at her, trying to figure out if that was a joke or not. "Were you?"

"No! God, no," she said.

He simpered and his eyes brightened "You can admit it, your secret's safe with me."

"I really wouldn't trust you with anything Eddy," she teased.

He clutched his chest "I'm hurt," he said. "I thought by now I'd have at least been last on the list."

She looked hesitant.

Fair enough Eddy thought. If I was you, I wouldn't trust me either.

"The last couple of weeks I've been thinking about what you said by the lake. About liking me," he said.

Sarah's heart leapt into her throat and she froze. It was all she could do from fainting. Here it came, the answer she had waited for months to hear. She bit her lip and waited.

"…and I guess I needed some space to sort through my feelings for you," he said. "It's been confusing cause you're my friend's sister, you're younger, we haven't exactly been the best of friends growing up and with me leaving I didn't know if I could allow myself to be with someone only to leave at the end of six months…."

She didn't say anything, she continued to wait. What was he trying to say? Was he letting her down easily? It sure as hell didn't feel like it. It felt like he had brought her here just to tell her to go run off and play with boys her own age.

"…I like you. I think you're smart and gorgeous and I'm definitely attracted to you," he explained. "That's why I kind of feel like it'd be a better call if we took this slowly, I really don't want to break your heart or anything like that."

There was a moment of silence, and Sarah stared out into the horizon. She was officially confused. Did taking it slowly mean forget her feelings? Was he saying he wanted to share something but didn't want to be attached to her?

"So, we forget all this?" she clarified.

He sighed, then clarified "No, we just act normal and see where this all goes."

She thought she got it. She really did. But she didn't, not one bit. She finished her dessert in silence and he paid the bill and by then she was royally trashed from the wine. How he was still sober was a complete mystery.

"Wanna go watch Netflix at my place?" he suggested.

"Yeah, Ed would totally freak if I came back dressed like this. He'd also probably demand to know who I was with and call around to see if I'm not lying."

...

By the time they arrived to Eddy's bachelor apartment, Sarah was abuzz with energy. Unbeknownst from where. Maybe the wine. Maybe the excitement of going to his house.

She had talked the whole way back about anything she could think of, and Eddy would tease her about her alcohol tolerance.

"Gee and I thought you were loud sober," he said. "I've dug my own grave here."

"You just can't admit you love the sound of my voice," she said, sticking her tongue out.

"Contrary to popular belief... I dont," he replied as they drove into the garage of his place.

Eddy's whole apartment was about the size of hers and Nazz's combined. It had wide open spaces filled with evidence that a man lived here… alone. Artpieces and no frames of family around. He had a leather couch set and flat screen TV that was mounted on the wall. Gaming consoles were mounted into the walls and he even had a shelf of games that hung nearby. There was a record player and a shelf dedicated to his records, and books on finance and a couple fiction ones; with a jukebox standing nearby. The floor was wooden and pristine, everything was clean and a rug was thrown between the couch and the TV, a glass coffee table on top. The kitchen was modern and fitted with the latest appliances and gadgets; Sarah was surprised he rarely used it. She got so happy just looking at it. The dining room sat about 8 people and was made of a glass table with luxury chairs for guests to sit around and have meals.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he said, locking the door behind him.

"It's nice," Sarah said. "You need to invite people over more often."

"I would, but I don't have the time to entertain," he said. "Make yourself comfortable, Small-Pint."

She sat on the couch and took her heeels off. A short while later he returned with sodas, a blanket and a bag of popcorn poured in a huge bowl. "Now we get cozy," He said, removing his jacket.

Eddy switched the light off and turned on the television, accessing the Internet from it and looking for a good movie. When they had argued about which one to watch, the settled for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Sarah had taken her shoes off and sat comfortably, not eating because she was so full. "Hey, I have a confession," she said drunkenly.

He laughed "Jesus, Sarah, how many bombs you gotta drop on a guy?"

"I'm sorry, this is the very last one," she said, giggling and facing him. "Ready?"

"Shoot," he said, opening his soda.

"I really didn't get what you meant in the restaurant about taking it slow. Did you mean we could do anything or see each other or you don't want to be with me at all?"

"I meant we don't do anything either one of us will regret," he explained slowly like he was talking to a toddler. "Like-"

She stopped him with a passionate kiss. Eddy reciprocated and when she pulled away, his mind was blank.

"Like that?" she asked.

"Sarah, you really shouldn't do that…" he tried to explain, a gleam of danger sparkling in his eyes and he was doing his best to resist the urge to kiss her back. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was taking advantage of her because of the date. He was sleazy but he respected virgins. Too bad this drunk one was vying to prove himself wrong.

She proceeded to straddle him, her dress pooling by her waist and he almost didn't know how to react "Or else what?"


	7. Want

**_Want_**

Eddy's breathing had deepened, he was momentarily caught off-guard.

The girl had a way of rendering him speechless through her haphazard actions. He was both impressed at her boldness and tired at the persistence. This was not the way this was going to happen, he decided... if it _was_ even going to happen. For god's sake, this was spoilt, bratty Sarah! Where had that girl gone?

Looking up at her he saw a was beautiful, younger, naïve, drunk and enamored teenager. She was in a position where he didn't pride her for being in: being taken advantage of. She was making it too unexacting for him. Sure, he was greedy, conniving, impatient, corrupt and at times maliciously unscrupulous without second thought. His morals were undoubtedly questionable, but even he had boundaries. And this was one of them.

Taking advantage of drunk helpless women was never his cup of tea. Mainly because it was too easy; he preferred his women sobered up and giving him a good challenge, putting up a worthy fight.

And yet… she was the one on top of him. She was the one 'in love' with him. She was the one who wanted this, just like she wanted the kiss by the lake. She was the one who kept making it clear how much she wanted him. This was all her call. He wouldn't be breaking any law if he let himself have this victory, he reasoned.

Eddy argued with himself that just recently he was more than ready to get his from her before she revealed she was a virgin in love. So what had changed? Well, just that. He hated the words "virgin" and "in-love" isolated but together he knew they were a recipe for disaster, especially since he was the object of said affection.

And yet...

"Or else what?" she had practically purred on his lap.

"Or else you're going to drive me crazy," he said throatily, forcing his hands to remain by his sides. Forcing his mind elsewhere. Anywhere but here. He wasn't going to give in, not now. But until he did, he'd have her begging on her knees, just as she was doing to him. It wouldn't be right if he was the only one who suffered.

She had began to trace the outline of his chest, caressing him through the thin material of his shirt and rubbing his neck softly. He watched her carefully, his expression blunt and she smiled, leaning in, making it painfully obvious that she wanted him to kiss her.

He took her beauty in. Her scent was heavenly and her skin felt like silk. She felt good, sure. The perfect fit for his hands. She felt ... untouched.

He didn't want to feel like this. This wasn't even the way this night was suppose to have happened. He had wanted to convince himself that this was just a phase, a momentary lapse in reason; but it hadn't worked. It was actually failing. Dismally.

As much as he was failing, he couldn't help but feel real with her.

Much realer and more serious than all the other flings he had had. He rarely had a soft side for the women he hooked up with. He never cared to develop such deep, unconditional feelings. But spending four hours with her tonight had only proved one thing. With Sarah, he genuinely cared. He hated it but he couldn't help it. He wanted to protect her, do right by her, shower her with everything money could ever buy, make her his in every way possible…

His mouth met hers gently in a chaste closed mouth kiss. Her eyes swam in the dim lighting of the room, begging him for more. He couldn't bear to deny her even the simplest request, so he gave in. He'd waited all this time for a repeat of the lakeside kiss and found it to be much better than the first time, so he allowed his hands to wonder across her luscious, soft thighs.

He was conflicted. He cursed himself as he worshipped her taste, her feel, her presence.

He pulled her closer, pushing himself deeper onto her as his crotch met her heated one. It drove him into a frenzy but with uncharacteristic self-control he never even knew he had, he prematurely broke off the kiss, still gripping her waist.

He swore at himself for what he was about to do "Sarah…" he began sounding more disappointed at himself than anything. "The movie… let's watch."

Sarah rose an eyebrow, her heart stung by his reaction. She was certain he had been enjoying himself, why did he stop? She got off him and sat on the couch, fixing her dress and said "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, turning from the movie introduction.

"Throwing myself at you like that," she confessed. "I'm stupid."

"No, you're not," he replied. "I realize how this all might seem… I get you drinks and supper and bring you back to my place… but you're not in the right mindset for this. It's too soon."

Sarah blushed both in anger and embarrassment, maybe even shock.

This guy really didn't like her as much as she wanted, She concluded. Who the hell did he think he was to even tell her what kind of mindset she was in, or capable of? All the other guys from her class would have jumped at the opportunity to be her first but the one person she wanted was telling her 'no'. This was a new turn; she had never experienced this kind of rejection before and it hurt. A lot.

"You know what?" she said her tone hurt and malicious, the old Sarah coming out. "Agh, just forget it. I'm such an idiot for even liking a pretentious jerk like you. You think you know better cause you're older or richer or whatever but I'm starting to feel like this was all a huge mistake. I never should have told you how I felt!"

"Wait, what?" Eddy asked, taken aback by her rant, his own annoyance emerging. "Why are you making this seem like it's my fault?"

"Because it is!"

"Because I won't sleep with you?" he scoffed, like she was flipping her cap.

She blushed at what he said. It wasn't supposed to seem like that but he made her angry and now he had the audacity to turn it on her! Like she was the one being unreasonable?

Sarah crossed her arms across her chest "I just wanna go home now." She sulked.

Eddy shook his head, the whole situation quite insane to him "Seriously?"

He looked at her and at this point she wasn't even facing him, but she sure as hell looked serious about her decision.

Sarah wanted to both cry and hit him. She wanted to curse herself for even developing feelings for him. Of course he wouldn't just give her everything she wanted. He was selfish and rude and stingy. A part of her felt like they were running out of time. Soon, he would be gone and all they would have done was fight and have steamy kisses, nothing more.

She wanted him to have her before he left for good. She knew that once Eddy went to New York, they would never see each other again... or at least not for a very long time. She was scared at the prospect and she wanted him to know how much it hurt her, but never could tell him that that was what was really bothering her.

She hated that he acted as if she was nothing to him, and yet he was her everything. She was trying to make it easy and obvious for him to be with her, but it was just blowing up on her.

She quickly rubbed the tear from her eyes carefully so as to not rub the mascara off before he flipped the light switch on. Standing, she grabbed her purse and marched out of the room through the door Eddy held out for her. She sort of regretted her decision once she sat in his car.

They were riding in silence for a good minute before he cleared his throat.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he said coolly.

She said nothing, so he continued "I don't want to rush any of this. I've never been with …"

"A virgin?" she finished.

"No." he said, glancing at her. He took her hand with one of his and rubbed his fingers on her soft skin. "I've never been with someone I liked this way. I actually want to do things right by you."

Sarah bit her bottom lip, touched at his words. Maybe she had overreacted. Maybe they needed to take it slow . She kicked herself for acting unreasonable and demanding to go home. Maybe she should take it back and they could return to the movie?

Just then, Eddy's phone began to ring through the speakers in his car and because it was on hands-free mode, after two rings it answered by itself.

"Eddy?" came a very drunk sounding female voice on the other end. "Eddy, are you there?"

Eddy had wanted to reach for the phone as soon as he recognized the voice but both hands were on the steering wheel, so he kept them there. He'd had to deal with one too many insurance claims for people who had gotten into accidents related to handling cellphones while on the wheel and he did not want to be a statistic. Mostly; he didn't want to risk Sarah's life.

"Hey," he said reluctantly, hoping she wasn't calling for a quickie or some dumb shit like that.

"Eddy, I didn't know who to call," Lee's voice cracked and slurred like she was crying. A drunken hiccup also signaled that she was intoxicated.

"Whats wrong?" he asked. "Are you ok?"

Sarah recognized the voice and wasn't sure what to make of any of this. Had they always had this type of relationship? Were they still together? Had they made up after the lake? Was he lying? Was Eddy really still in love with her? She had so many questions and she could tell Eddy was trying to act unphased but his expression seemed… worried.

Suddenly, Sarah did not feel as special any more.

"No, I'm not." She said. "I… there's this guy he's hurting me and he tore my dress and…"

She cried on the phone and Sarah felt terrible for feeling angry at her for calling.

"What?" asked Eddy. "Where are you, Lee?"

"That old pub by sixth downtown," she said. "Please hurry Eddy, he's gonna be back any minute now and I'm so scared!"

"I'm on my way," he said determinedly.

By this time, they had arrived outside Sarah's house and he stopped the car, he didn't turn off the engine.

"I'm sorry about that," he said finally after moments of silence. "She gets involved in crazy shit like this and I usually have to go save her."

Save, huh?

"I understand," Sarah said, taking her hand away from his. "Uhm, goodnight." She added shyly, stepping out of the car.

He didn't drive off until she was inside the house. She knew he had been watching her, probably trying to guess what was going through her mind.

He made a mental note to explain it to her and make it up to her. The car sped off, forgetting the speed limit.

Lee's tendencies to get involved with the wrong crowd was what Eddy hated most about her. Actually, he had a lot of things he hated about her but this took the prize. He did, however, understand why she acted out.

He knew a lot of this had to do with what was going on in her life...

He knew she had had an abusive childhood, and he sympathized with her, so he found a psychologist for her. He knew she had nowhere to go aside from her father's rundown trailer that she shared with her step siblings, so he had helped her get a job so she could stand on her own two feet. He knew she struggled with various addictions, so he offered to pay for the best treatment money could buy. He knew she was in desperate need for real friends, and overtime, he unwittingly became that for her. He detested the fact that she chose him of all people because it always led into these situations. And yet, never once did he deny her his help or support. He never second guessed being by her side in her time of need.

She was fucked up.

And you could say he was too, so he knew how much she needed the shoulder to cry on during long lonely nights.

Sarah had tiptoed to her bedroom, thankful that her older brother was nowhere in the house to meet her arrival. She threw herself on her bed and cried. The man she loved had rejected her and professed his love… or maybe like… or some type of affection for her. And yet, he was on his way to be his ex's knight in shining armor.

She cried. If he was saving her, who would save Sarah?


	8. Ailmony

**Alimony**

_Purple is the color of two_

_Tied in bows of uncertainty_

_She casts a look to her lover_

_He's strong, courageous of heart_

_He'd kill any demon that tore her _

_And yet as he was I and I was she_

_I saw the only monster he couldn't defeat_

_Was himself_

The effortless sound of Eddy's high performance car buzzed through the early morning air as he raced downtown, surpassing the speed limit on wide, empty roads. It was the only comforting sound around. The only thing keeping him from screaming profanities.

Lee's agitated voice was replaying in his head and he couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario; the girl was a magnet for shady drug dealers and underworld criminals with less than pure intentions. Sarah's disappointed look fleeted in his mind as well. She had attempted to hide her confusion and hurt from Lee's call but Eddy hadn't missed it from the corner of his eye. He really hated that the night had ended the way it had.

Pushing the younger woman's memory aside was the scene that Eddy made when they were by the lake. Particularly the part when he told her off. Sure Eddy needed Lee gone but he didn't want her dead.

The girl was a bed of marshmallows inside. She always took shit like this personally. Unfortunately, it was the root of her promiscuity and heavy drug usage.

This was not the first time he was going to play superman with the self-destructive behavior of hers. It annoyed Eddy how reckless she was with herself; his mind reeled as he reiterated images of the numerous times he had gone to pick her up from different clubs at the crack of dawn in a pool of her own vomit.

The last time she overdosed on unregistered, illegal pills. She nearly died; he remembered watching in a panicked haze as the paramedics tended to her. At some point she flat lined and become clinically dead for two minutes until they managed to resuscitate.

You would never hear him say it, but those were the most terrifying two minutes of his life.

See, when it came to Lee, Eddy always experienced extremes. There were never calms. That was the main reason he knew they'd never work out. He was always either extremely mad, extremely in hate, extremely attracted to her or extremely feeling bad for her. That's not to say they never had any good times. Lee had redeeming qualities such as her humor and intelligence. If she wasn't making him laugh or debating about economic theories no one who have guessed she to know in a million years, she was listening to and giving him thought provoking advice on life.

When it was good it was great. When it was bad, he felt like ripping her head off (and vice versa).

Sometimes they'd argue, get into physical altercations and he'd storm out, vowing never see her face again. Days, maybe weeks later, he would return. Perhaps for sex and that thing she did with her tongue. Perhaps for a warm body to sleep next to. Perhaps for someone to hear him talk. The reasons always changed. He'd apologize and Lee would challenge him, sparking another heated battle. For the most part, he'd let her have the victory, he knew how to pick his battles. By the end of the night, he'd be in her bed, on his back growling her name as she straddled him, cooing in satisfaction.

They had normalized this type of behavior for so long that it had become a part of their dysfunctional 'friendship'. Routine, if you will. Eddy resented how easy it was for him to give into the cycle. He couldn't stop and he didn't know why. None of it was healthy or conducive for a normal relationship.

Again, he thought of Sarah. He thought of the sudden feelings she had developed. He resisted them as best as he knew – by blocking them out. He was not ready for any type of commitment and he knew that if he entertained the younger woman any longer, he wouldn't be able to help himself around her and she'd only get hurt.

Sarah would have been the perfect girl had it been the right time, or maybe if he was someone else. He felt like she deserved better and he wasn't it. He knew he'd spend more time compensating for how much of a fuck up he was if he let his feelings take over. He would only parade her around as a trophy of sorts, brag and treat her like an award for being an ass.

He thought of how Sarah had a tendency of thinking she could manipulate him; it annoyed him but he knew it was just traces of the personality she had when she was younger. Little did she know that he was always three steps ahead of her.

Eddy knew what she was doing; he was able to read her like an open book. That was the reason he held back from giving into her sexual advances. He knew she would use it against him, unlike Lee who just used sex to get off - for enjoyment's sake. He also knew the difference between sex with Sarah and sex with Lee would be how much of a hold Sarah could potentially have on him. He would let her have it, too.

Dilapidated, flashing neon lights announced Eddy's eventual arrival to the dingy pub that rest behind a sixties themed diner. He parked right by the motel opposite it and walked determinedly to the pub.

A bell announcing the young man's presence. Intimidating stares and murmurs from the regular crowd of tricenarians were cast in his direction. The place wasn't full by any standard, but the amount of smoke being produced inside was thick and palatable. The men knew what he had come for, so they signed him off, returning to their game of pool without giving the familiar stranger a second glance.

Eddy surveyed the place, both trying to spot her and figure out if anything was out of place; there was no sign of any altercation preceding his arrival. No sign was a good sign he concluded. Everything seemed normal, save for Lee's absence.

He nodded a greeting to the old bartender and as he opened his mouth to ask, the man told him "She in the stalls... been drinking since afternoon and a coupla' guys tried to single her out but I asked them to leave," he explained in a thick southern accent. "Ain't want no ruckus in my bar."

"Thanks, " Eddy said, handing the man a solid fifty dollars although he really didn't have to. "Where is she?"

He nodded to the female bathrooms. "She refused to come out."

Before Eddy took another step towards the bathroom, the man glared at him, intent on delivering the message with as much emphasis as possible "You had better keep an eye out for her, I seen girls like her raped an' murdered on the side of the road one too many times in my lifetime."

Eddy nodded, taking back the wrist the man had fiercely grabbed and rubbing it. For an old person, he sure had quite the grip on him.

"Lee?" Eddy called, pushing past the creaking wooden door of the female ablutions. "Lee, are you in here?"

All the stalls were wide open except for one that was closed, seeming locked shut. He figured she was in there because he saw her shadow beneath the door. Knocking on it, he called out her name softer and out came her groggy and drunk moans of pain.

"Eddy," she replied so quietly he may not have heard had he not been leaning right by the door.

There was an unlatching noise from inside. He opened the door and saw her sitting on top of the closed toilet basin, her head bowed on her legs. She looked up weakly, her eyes glazed over and not focusing. She looked like shit but she still managed to smile at him "You came..?"

He looked upon her with sympathy but didn't reply her obvious question. With practiced effort and strength, he picked her small frame up with no problem, carrying her bridal style. She smelt of tobacco, vomit and cheap vodka.

Eddy felt her rest her head against his neck, her breath warm on his skin. When they were outside, he noticed that she was fast asleep in his arms. He sighed, deciding that it might just be best to book a motel room. He yawned. Lee had the right idea to call it a night. He had had a long day and was not up to driving for another hour; he desperately needed some shut eye.

…

The motel room assigned to them looked like it had not been decorated since the sixties. Either that or whoever had the task to decorate it was a color blind, fashion challenged sadist.

What the overall room lacked in style it made for in convenient pricing. One double bed was in the middle of the room in from of an old tube television set and a DVD player. A small bathroom was on the left side of the room, adjacent to a makeshift kitchen; the flashing of the neon lights and vibrations of light evening traffic made it evident how close they were to the highway.

"I'm going to puke!" Lee announced as she staggered to the bathroom, nearly falling on her heels.

Eddy watched as she made futile attempts to walk so he helped her to the bathroom where she proceeded to heave up all the alcoholic beverages that she had consumed.

Some got on her dress and hair, despite Eddy's best attempt at keeping her hair back.

He opened up the bath and warm water cascaded freely into the wide basin. Lee had by now closed the toilet lid and leaned her upper body lazily over it, breathing heavily from the expulsion of the toxins from her system. Every now and then, she heaved from all the alcohol still in her system but he stayed beside her, rubbing her back and resorting to braid her hair into a fishtail to keep it from being entangled in any more mess.

"Come here, brush your teeth," he lifted her near the counter and handed her a toothbrush with paste on it and she washed out the sink of the night, surrendering the tears she had been holding back ever since he found her in the pub.

"...There was this one guy... He had a gun and he was going to rape me," she told him, shaking and looking at the sink in complete embarrassment. "I screamed kicked him off but couldn't... I... if it wasn't for that old bar guy I really don't know what would have become of me."

She rinsed out her mouth and wiped away stray tears, her eye makeup smearing boldly on her face. Eddy sighed, and looked at her bowed head. He felt terrible and partially guilty for what she was going through. She didn't deserve this kind of life, all these addictions ... No one did.

Embracing her into a tight consoling hug, he said "It's ok now."

She sobbed on his shoulder for what seemed like hours and then pulled away, eyes puffy and dried out "I really need this bath, I feel so dirty, " she said, smiling feebly. "Guess I'm gon' have to wear this again."

Eddy looked at the dress which was dirty and partly torn, then removed his work shirt, remaining with a vest on and placed it on the rack beside the tub "Wear this tonight, I'll get you clothes from the convenient store down the road tomorrow. "

Lee looked at him like he was the best thing that had happened to her. It was true. He really was. Sometimes the kindness he showed to her was a stark difference from his greed and unscrupulous nature when it came to money and power. That's how she knew she loved him. Because deep down inside Eddy was a gentleman and he really did care about the people in his life. Including her, otherwise he would not have bothered to even come to her rescue, no matter how many fall outs they had.

"Thank you."

He nodded and left the bathroom, closing the door.

…

Lee looked at the fuzzy reflection of herself in the mirror fogged up by bath vapor.

She had no makeup on and her hair recently shampooed and blown dry hair had reverted to its natural bouncy state that she hated. She had looked around for a hot iron but found none, so she tied it back into a loose ponytail.

And still she hated the way she looked.

She felt vulnerable.

Every time she had seen Eddy she had some sort of makeup on her and it always made her look gorgeous but now with nothing to show for but her natural looks, she didn't know how he'd react or if he'd think she wasn't as pretty. It's funny that of all the things that had happened to her tonight, this was what was stressing her out the most. She should be reevaluating her life and where it was headed, but no… she only had him and what he thought on her mind.

It was one thing being with your ex-boyfriend/friend with benefits/fuck buddy …or whatever he was, alone in a motel room. It was another to have him seen your true form, something her mother always recommend against because apparently men didn't want 'nun looking' women.

Sighing and shaking the thought of her mother out of her head, she stepped out of the bathroom, just to find him perched on the bed watching the news, idly tapping his index finger by the bed like he always did. She really never knew what that meant. He did it when he was happy, sad and excited so she just figured it was an impulsive habit of his.

Eddy's shirt was big on her, and it looked more like a really short dress than a shirt. She made a conscious effort to make sure it didn't reveal way more than it should have by pulling and holding it down.

Lee walked over to her clutch bag and put in her accessories so as to not lose them and she could feel his eyes on her back.

She really didn't want to turn around and show him the real her.

She wished she was still drunk enough to go through with it but after she had purged herself from the poisons she had ingested, she was well sobered up now and it if she was to be honest, it did not feel as nice.

The red head quickly took a seat on the other side of the bed and looked forward at the TV not saying a word to her so called ex.

"You're not wearing any makeup." He pointed out.

"I know."

"It's a good look on you," he replied much to Lee's amazement. "Keep it."

She smiled, blushing slightly.

"Eddy, I'm really sorry for calling you," she began. "I mean, I'm thankful you came but I really am sorry for calling. I know you said we weren't dating and I should not act like - "

He interrupted. "This was the exception. You did say you were in trouble. "

"I guess." She said and fell silent.

After a few minutes she yawned and asked "Please hold me?

"Lee..." he started to oppose but it was her turn to interrupt him.

"I just want to feel safe in your arms, that's it." She said. "Like we used to do. Just for tonight."

He nodded and slid down to face her, arms wrapping her frame. She had switched off the television and the lamp illuminating the room by her side. They lay there unmoved until she said "I miss you."

He pretended like he hadn't heard anything but her eyes implored him to reply in the darkness. When he didn't, she moved into his frame, instead comforted by his presence.

Their breathing was in sync as they came closer, lips melting into each other's. Pretty soon their bodies followed suit, shedding Eddy's clothes that each wore and giving into the familiar passion they shared for so long...


	9. Gain

**_Gain_**

Lee's hair seemed ablaze in the early hours of the morning. Whenever the new day's rays cascaded through her mane, she looked like she had a halo of flames around her head. It only added to her allure and sensual nature.

Her ponytail was now loose and stray locks hung on her face. She had her eyes closed in concentration and was biting her lower lip, hands on his chest, legs on either side of his hips. She was a sight to behold, truly she was.

It was one thing waking up to her flawless, natural beauty; and a completely different thing waking up to her replaying the scene from last night. She was methodological; she knew his body from the months of experience and it didn't take long for her to have him pinned under her.

He became distracted by the view for a moment. She really had no need for the makeup she wore daily, he thought. Her pale skin was flawless and silky to touch and even without wearing skimpy outfits anyone with eyes would be able to see the soft curvatures that her body boasted.

She changed paces – slower now. His body tensed involuntarily, liking the adjustment and he growled lowly, rubbing his hands on the exposed flesh he had been watching. These were the reasons his soul was in a constant state of uncertainty. He always felt conflicted... unsure.

The red hair reminded him of another's. Sarah's naive face fleeted in his mind and a pang of guilt filled him. Part of him wished she was _her._

_ What the fuck am I doing?_ he thought to himself. If she ever found out about this she'd run for the hills, he was sure. Maybe it was for the best. Eddy really couldn't help himself when it came to these things. The younger woman was too good, too innocent to be liking him. She didn't know what she was getting herself into by choosing to him; she didn't know the baggage of insecurities he carried, his phobia of commitment nor the impatience he had when it came to relationships.

And yet he found himself thinking more and more about the way she looked last night, her laughter and prodding brown eyes.

He looked up at Lee's face again and realized she had opened her eyes, now watching him as well. How long she had been looking at him was unknown. When their eyes met, she smiled.

The smile wasn't sultry or seductive. It wasn't even naughty or lust filled like all the other smiles she had given him in the past. This one was a knowing smile.

He wasn't sure what to make of it. He had no energy to think about what it meant or implied because he knew he'd never figure it out. She ran her finger along this neck, causing his hairs to stand on edge.

In one swift movement, he flipped them over and she was beneath him. She let out a soft giggle and kissed his cheek, as if giving him the permission to take back control of the situation.

She bit her lip again, her eyes twinkling as he took them to the familiar place of heated urges.

"I have to go," she said in a small voice as they both lay on their backs, panting.

It was too soon, he thought. 4am was too early. He wanted to sleep in, have a morning to just sit in bed and think.

When Lee rose off the bed to take a shower he grabbed his phone, quickly composing a message to the girl that had been on his mind for hours now.

He knew he would not get a reply at this time; it was a long-shot, but he was still willing to try. Every bone in his body told him to leave it as it was. Leave her broken now and spare her the pain in the future. But he just couldn't. A part of him had grown to need her adoration and adulation.

He knew it wasn't going to be easy. He knew better; regardless of all signs pointing to her demise if she ended up with him, he still wanted her. But he knew it wouldn't be easy... she was almost as stubborn as he was.

…

If it hadn't been for the splitting headache she had developed, Sarah would not have easily remembered that the previous night had happened.

That wine may have been the best thing Sarah had ever tasted, but had she known it was going to hurt this bad she would not have drank so much of it.

She glanced at her phone. 11am.

There was a message from Eddy delivered at 0432am… _I'm really sorry about last night. _

She sighed frustrated, not sure how to reply. Feeling dehydrated, she got out of bed reluctantly to get water from the kitchen downstairs. Today she was going to stay in bed and nurse her hangover and shattered feelings.

She was embarrassed, hurt, heartbroken and angry at herself for ever saying yes to Eddy. The more she thought about how much of a fool she had made of herself last night, the more she wanted to cry. He was probably just using her as some sort of ego boost. She'd known him to be a person who cared about very little, why did she think she would be the first thing he'd actually have real human feelings for?

She should never had thrown herself at him like that. Because now he probably thought she was easy and that's all she wanted. She should have demanded respect like she did on all her previous dates. It was never difficult for Sarah to lay down the law when it came to guys, but with him she didn't want any boundaries. All she wanted was him.

Looking back on the situation with regret, she wondered how was she ever going to face him again. Sure he apologized but was it really enough? A part of her knew this type of thing was the norm when it came to him... Maybe she was biting off more than she could chew. She thought about abandoning her feelings and letting them die down. Pretty soon he'd be gone and she wouldn't have to deal with him. She hesitated, and decided to hang onto them for her sanity's sake.

Things had been going so well last night too! Sarah should never have tried to seduce him or yell at him.

Regret swam all around her.

"How nice of you to finally join us," Ed said as Sarah fished out a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

He was sitting on the kitchen table with May, having breakfast.

Sarah purposefully ignored her older brother, but he continued "I heard you come in last night. Where were you?"

"Ed, can we not talk about this now?" Sarah asked agitated. The last thing she needed was a lecture from him.

"So when would be the best time for you, baby sister?" he asked, sounding intimidating. "When you're not so hungover?"

His voice was loud and making her head pound even more; she could feel it getting worse with every word he said. She definitely needed something to take for the pain "Ed please –"

"No, Sarah," Ed said, calmly but almost like he was shouting. "I could see how you were dressed last night and that you were drunk. You didn't tell me you were going out. What if something happened to you?"

"Nothing happened to me Ed!" Sarah yelled. "So quit yelling at me. I just went out with… a friend."

May was looking between her boyfriend and his sister, hopping that the argument wouldn't turn ugly.

"A _friend_?" he repeated. "Jimmy's out of town and Nazz was with Double D so I sure as hell know that it wasn't them."

"It's not like you know all my friends!" Sarah said, not bothering to mask her anger.

"You're right. I don't." he said, just as angry. "But whoever it was shouldn't be sneaking you out of the house and returning you at odd hours of the night _drunk_. And you didn't even tell me, did you think I wouldn't let you go?"

"For fuck's sake Ed, I'm an adult I don't need to run everything by you!"

"What if something bad had happened to you, Sarah, how would I even know where to look?" he demanded, now standing to challenge her. "Should I have just waited for the cops to show up and tell me my sister's body's been found in a gutter somewhere?!"

Sarah hadn't realized that she had begun to cry. Something bad did happen to her, but it wasn't murder by any measure of the word. His friend had rejected her and she was hurting because of it. Real bad. Why was she even protecting Eddy? He deserved to take the blame for this as much as she did. She knew it was pretty irresponsible to leave without telling Ed where she was going to be, and she rarely ever did it.

The younger sibling always complained about how her brother wasn't mom or dad; but then he was all the family she had left since their passing. He looked out for her, he always did because it was his responsibility. Refusing him the opportunity to protect his sister was one thing that always hurt Ed right to the core.

May placed a hand on Ed's shoulder, signaling for him to stop. His point was well put across and he softened his demeanor when he saw her now crying. "Sarah, I'm sorry. I –"

He did not get the chance to finish his sentence because Sarah dashed upstairs, back to her room. She abandoned the water she had come downstairs to get.

Ed sighed frustrated, throwing his hands up "Mom and Dad trusted me with her and I screwed up."

"No, honey. You didn't," May said, rubbing his arm. "She just needs some time and space that's it."

"…But I don't get it," Ed said, looking pensive. "Why wouldn't she tell me who she was going out with?"

May gave him a look but he couldn't tell what the expression was on her face. "Like she said, she's a big girl now," she explained. "Whoever it was… she's responsible and smart enough to handle herself."

"But what if-?"

"Nothing happened to her," May reassured him gently. "She's fine, Ed."

Ed nodded, May's words were comforting and making him ease up. She rubbed his cheek and said "I'll go up and talk to her."

…

_Knock knock._

No answer.

_Knock knock knock._

Again, no answer.

"Sarah?" May called. "Can I come in?"

May stood by her door for what seemed like minutes before the younger girl opened to let her in.

"I brought you your water and some food," she said softly, placing the tray by her desk. She took the bottle of water and sat by Sarah, handing it to her. "I figured you'd be hungry and thirsty."

"Thanks," she replied, drinking it in silence. No words were exchanged for a while until May started "He's just worried about you."

"I know." Sarah said. "I'm not upset about that it's just…"

May was surprised, she was sure that was what would have upset her, but now she was interested in hearing what was on her mind and what had happened to make her so upset. Sarah did look like she had been crying a lot with red rimmed, puffy eyes and a solemn look. May really hated seeing anyone feel sad. She easily empathized with people, especially the ones she cared about and usually went out of her way to make everyone feel better if they were sad.

"Did something happen last night?" May inquired.

Sarah nodded, feeling a fresh batch of tears well up in her eyes.

"Did someone hurt you?" May asked again, now facing Sarah, her voice sounding worried.

"No. No – nothing like that," Sarah said quickly, wiping her eyes with her pajama sleeve.

"Then what, Sarah? You can tell me."

The strawberry blonde shook her head "It's just this guy. He said he liked me but he acts like he doesn't and he's still in love with his ex."

"Oh," said May knowingly. "Boy trouble?"

"I'm just confused, May. I don't get why a guy would say one thing and act in a totally different way?"

There was a momentary pause and Sarah didn't think May had the answer to her question, considering her IQ. But May said finally said "Well, sometimes guy do and say things they really don't mean to take advantage of you. It's a horrible thing to do and you'll always wonder if you could change their minds but that's just the way some guys are. You can't change it and once he sees you in a certain way the chances of him respecting you or treating you like anything else are pretty slim."

_What_? Sarah thought.

That was actually really deep. Maybe May was really smarter than she let on…?

It made sense. Every single word of what she had just said made perfectly logical sense. Perhaps that was what was happening but Sarah was too naive to spot it? Perhaps her emotions were clouding her judgement? Perhaps she was setting herself up for heartbreak because of her feelings?

She fought the ideas and doubts now flooding her mind, really against the thought. Eddy had said he liked her. He said he didn't want to take advantage of her when she was drunk. He acted like a gentleman. He made it seem like he wanted to take it slow and get to know her...

But was it possible he was only saying this to get on her good side? Make her trust him and then just use her and leave her for New York City or Lee Kanker? Was she just a toy for him to play with?

Sarah began to cry again, even more confused than ever. Worse still, she was aggravating her already very painful headache. May wrapped her hand around her and rubbed her back until she fell asleep, physically and emotionally drained. She hated seeing her like this. Sarah was like her own little sister and to hear that someone was potentially taking advantage of her or hurting her made May mad. Suddenly, she was enraged to the point of finding out who the good for nothing rat was and giving her a piece of her mind. She was sure that would fix everything. Communication always helped.

_Then everything will be fine, and Sarah would be happy._ May reasoned. More than anything, she loved to see everyone happy and in harmony.

Sarah's phone vibrated from her side table. May would have ignored it had it not kept vibrating. Scared it would wake the younger girl up, she picked it up to put it on silent; her eye caught something. Three missed calls from Eddy and 1 new message…

_Sarah, please talk to me? I hate the way things ended between us. Let me make it up to you?_

May raised an eyebrow.

Was Eddy the guy Sarah was so upset about? Was he the one hurting her like this? What had he done? Had he somehow hurt her or forced her into doing something she didn't want? Wasn't he hooking up with her sister Lee...?

She looked at the previous message sent from Eddy… _I'm really sorry about last night._ And it clicked. Something was definitely happening between the two of them. Something about all this was definitely not right.

Tucking Sarah into her comforter, May decided she was going to get to the bottom of it.


End file.
